Mostly true, but I would only add a couple of caveats. Operational control may be transferred to another qualified dispatcher at turnover time. From the moment the briefing is acknowledged until a block-in time is received and recorded, the oncoming dispatcher is liable and responsible. It may be an obvious exception, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Secondly, I'm not aware of any regulation or legal interpretation that would preclude a certificate holder from reassigning a flight if a dispatcher refuses to send the paperwork, but I'm open to being enlightened (might be more of a CBA thing). I've worked for a carrier that didn't consider a release to be legally in effect until it was signed AND published/sent to the crew and/or station. The example scenario I'm thinking of is a qualified dispatcher who believes that releasing a flight is illegal, when it's actually not, unnecessarily holding the operation up for hours. I think there's a balance to be struck there where said dispatcher can't hold the release hostage just because it has his/her name on it, and they can't see or admit that they're just wrong. It goes without saying, though, that there's never a justification for bullying or pressuring a dispatcher to do something that's actually unsafe or illegal. I also wonder if a CFR 119.65 D.O. can legally step in and prevent a flight from departing if the conditions are known to be dangerous or illegal, but the DX/PIC wants to send it. Hypothetically, of course..
